All
by otownsangel
Summary: It's a short fic, set Season 5, anytime after Crush... I can't really explain it... SB, just like the rest of my fics.


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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters… At least not the ones from the show… blah, blah, blah… You know the drill…

~*~Okay, this is just a short little story I wrote as a sort of writing exercise. One of my best friends did this writing workshop thing and they made them write a short story using as little thought as possible and put the focus on action. She said it really helped, so I thought I'd give it a try. Anyway, there will be no more of this, and it's set anytime 5th season after _"Crush"_. Review if ya get the chance.~*~

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All:

The sound was unbearable. It came from the sickeningly purple creature that stood before the Slayer and the vampire. Terrifying tentacle-like protrusions writhed every which way from what appeared to be the body of the unidentifiable demon. The shrieks and howls that emanated from the mouths attached to the ends of each and every snapping protrusion were deafening. There was a sickly yellow blood oozing from the multiple wounds which had been earlier inflicted by the Slayer's nimble fingers. 

Spike had only just joined her moments before the piercing wails had begun, having been previously engaged with a mangy looking creature that very much resembled the supposedly fictional Big Foot. By the time he had begun to make it close enough to aid in the fight, the high-pitched screams had already begun and both warriors had been paralyzed on the spot, their hands forced up to block the offending noise. Neither of the two could do anything to move themselves; both were frozen in their places, feet planted firmly on the hard, cold ground. The affects on Buffy were much more harsh, or so it seemed from Spike's perspective, from at least 15 yards away. There before him, her mouth hung open in sheer pain; her head rolling violently on her shoulders, in search of even the slightest relief. There was none to be had. Tears were welling in her eyes as she tried to do something… Anything to make the pain stop. Desperately, she attempted to call out to Spike… Not that it would have mattered. For the most part, his condition wasn't much better than hers… 

Spike was farther from the demon, his proximity shielding him slightly from the most serious of effects. As he stared on, he wished that he could be the one there in her place. From where he was, he was, for the most part, alright besides the paralysis which held him to his spot on the ground. As he watched her, he could feel her pain as though it were his own, and it was horrifying…

Buffy felt as if her head would explode, and for all she knew, it would. This demon was unlike any she had ever before faced. Defeating it seemed out of the question. How could it be defeated if she nor Spike retained the ability to fight… or even move for that matter? If she were to continue on this way, the purple blob would take her out in seconds. That, she wasn't about to let happen. Willing herself with all of her being, she struggled to move forward… Or backward, for that matter. At the point she had reached, anything would've been progress. All her struggling was to no avail. Her frozen position remained stead fast, and the searing pain that had seeped from it's center in her temple, throughout her entire body was in no way lessened, but rather seemed to grow stronger. 

Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, her head lolled forward and she fell to the ground, writhing at the mercy of the inconceivable pain. She needed help… There was no way she could do this alone. But there was no one to help her. The only companion she had was in a less severe state of identical paralysis. Still, she attempted to call out to him, desperately trying to force his name through her lips. It didn't work. All she could do was cry. Tears fell silently as realization hit that she was alone. No one could help. Even the man who loved her could do nothing more than watch, tears flowing from his own eyes, as she was reduced to nothing more than a writhing pool of pain and tears.

And as his own tears coursed down from his pain filled eyes, there was nothing he could do to help his love. Her beautiful face was painted with agony, and her usually smiling eyes were filled with her hot, salty tears. She needed help… And he couldn't give it to her..

As he looked on, the hideous demon began to approach her predatorily, the almost snakelike limbs hissing and snapping and wailing… Searching for the prey it so desired… Buffy. His Buffy. It wasn't going to happen. There would be no allowing it. His Slayer was in danger, grave danger, and he was going to save her. Even if the horrid thing killed him in the process.

Somewhere, out of the blue, she pulled forward just enough strength to call out to him. As his name poured from her lips in an agonized plea, he felt his body begin to function once more. It was her voice. Her terror was transferred to him and suddenly, he was in motion. Swiftly kneeling to retrieve the ax which had been forced from his grip upon the initial shock of the creature's wailing, he was immediately in action. Though he wished desperately that he could move quicker than he was, he knew he couldn't. Were he to startle the beast while he was still so far from it, Buffy wouldn't have a chance… She'd be dead in seconds. He was her only hope and he damn sure wasn't going to blow it. Not now. Not when he was this close. 

Creeping silently, he slowly moved forward. It didn't take long before he was just a step away from arms length from the demon… And it was at that exact moment that his foot decided to come into contact with a small branch.

The snap was nearly as deafening as the sound of the demon's wailing. It was over… All of it. He knew it as the demon swiveled, a horrifying shriek escaping as it focused all of it's attention on Spike. He had just killed them both. As he was once again frozen on the spot, this time the intensity much greater. All he could hear echoing in his mind was Buffy's desperate cry of his name. He'd lost. He'd let her down…

But as the demon spun, Buffy felt the pressure suddenly being lifted from her; her body suddenly mobile. Springing to her feet immediately, she kicked out, the demon merely a few feet ahead of her. The blow sent the thing sprawly forward… And directly onto Spike's ax, effectively skewering him with the force she had used.

At the exact moment the demon was impaled, Spike was snapped from his stationary state. The first thing that registered with him was her image… Eyes frantic and horrified, breathing hard with fear and strangled effort. Tears continued to fall from the corners of her beautiful hazel eyes. She was sobbing, terror prominent in her expression; fearful tears shimmering on her soft, pale cheeks.

In that moment, all that existed was her. Her tears, her pain, her fear. All he wanted to do was take it all away… And then, he wrapped her in his arms, her entire body trembling against him in time with her sobs. For quite some time they stayed that way, sinking to the ground as one when their legs became too unstable.

And when his lips finally met hers, it was his way of assuring himself that she was really there, and she welcomed it… She didn't pull away from him… Instead she allowed his lips to gently caress hers, in his loving embrace. And as she lay cradled in his strong arms, in that moment, they were all that existed…

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~*~I know it was terrible, 'cause this kinda thing isn't exactly my strong point, but I had to give it a shot. Thanks for takin' the time to read it.~*~


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